What to Do If You Are Injured During an Excursion

Key Takeaways

• Excursions are meant to be enjoyable but if you do face any injuries, the first step is staying calm.
• Assess the injury and notify your guide, as they will help you to manage your transportation back to the hospital.
• Documenting your injury will serve as evidence to your insurer.
• Inform people in your emergency contact list.

Excursions can turn holidays into a once-in-a-lifetime trip. From wildlife expeditions to city tours, there is plenty on offer in the tourism industry. 

Unfortunately, accidents can happen on even the most well-planned excursions. It can be a slip on a hiking trek or a minor accident during water sports. If the vacation wasn’t well planned or as the result of faulty hotel equipment, however, you may be eligible to claim compensation. 

So what should you do if you are injured during an excursion? Let’s look at some of the measures that you can take up when faced with such a situation. 

Assess the Injury

Several common injuries can occur on expeditions such as trips and falls, road accidents, and activity-based injuries. When the injury first occurs, the foremost step is to calmly examine its severity. 

Take some moments to gather your thoughts and practice deep breaths to calm your nerves. Now look if the wounds are serious like a sprain or fracture or if it is a minor one with a bruise or scrapes. 

A small cut should be cleaned thoroughly and that should be sufficient. An ankle injury such as a sprain could be more serious if you cannot put weight on it and should be treated with care. 

Although there is a high probability that due to the adrenaline rush, the full extent of the wounds may not be visible but at least you get an idea of what you are dealing with. 

325 consumers who had fallen sick or injured while on vacation were taken into the survey below which was conducted in May 2022. 

Notify Your Guide

This circumstance is different for people and depends upon if you are on an excursion with a guide. 

If you are on a guided tour notify your guide immediately. They will be able to help assess the situation and call the emergency services if that is deemed necessary. The guides are trained to handle such emergencies and know how to tackle the situation. He must have contact with the relevant hospitals and clinics. 

They will also arrange your transportation to a medical facility, as these guides are well aware of the area. 

On the other hand for the people who are on a self-guided excursion then ensure you know the emergency numbers for the country you are in before you leave. If you think you are severely injured then do not hesitate to call the ambulance service. 

Your guide and the emergency service operator will be able to lead you through some safety procedures to deal with the injury and the situation you are in. You must listen to them, try to remain calm, and do exactly what they suggest. 

Document the Injury

We live in an age where people document every little detail as a memoir. So if you are able, document your injury as much as possible through photos or videos.

Alternatively, you could ask someone else to do it for you. You should try and get pictures or videos of the site where the accident occurred, the resulting wound, and the time and date. This will come in handy and will act as a piece of evidence when you will go for your insurance or any other legal purposes. 

You may also want to get the contact information of anyone who witnessed the accident. This will help to support you in the event that you do pursue a claim for your injury. 

Do You Know?
Around 30 -50% of 1 billion tourists who travel abroad fall ill or acquire an injury.

Speak to Your Insurers

It is for situations like this where having travel insurance is incredibly likely. You may be able to claim back some of the costs for treatment. There are also sports coverage or health insurance that can help you in covering up your cost. 

It is wise to have access to your insurance documents whilst you are away, but you can always call your provider to confirm how much you can claim back. Keep all the medical records, receipts, or any other significant documents that will help you to claim your money.

Make sure that you are doing this step as early as possible. First, the process would be smoother as the incident is fresh and all the documents are all up to date. Secondly, some insurance companies have a limited claim window period.  

Utilize Your Emergency Contacts

Now is the time when your emergency contacts will be valuable. Reach out to the people on your list and inform them about the accident. 

If you aren’t with your family or friends, letting them know what has happened is helpful if you need support from your home country. They could help to arrange an earlier flight home or liaise with the UK embassy in the country you are holidaying in if needed. 

Not only assist you with all the logistics, but they will also provide moral support. 

Takeaway

Prevention is better than cure.  Although accidents are something that cannot be avoided but what’s in your hand can. Carry every measure that can mitigate the risk of injuries during excursions. 

These vacations are meant to be enjoyable, but safety should be on your priority list. Somehow if you do face such situations, the key is to stay calm. Examine the situation, inform your guide, document the injury, speak to your insurer, and lastly inform the people on your emergency contact list.